Federal, exists in every state
Help paying the work-plan premium (HIPP)
Nebraska can reimburse a private-plan premium when a household member has Medicaid and the plan saves Medicaid money.
What it is
Nebraska can reimburse a private-plan premium when a household member has Medicaid and the plan saves Medicaid money.
Nebraska can reimburse a private-plan premium when a household member has Medicaid and the plan saves Medicaid money. Nebraska checks the program’s own eligibility rules.
Which premiums qualify
- The private plan must pass Nebraska’s cost comparison. Share-of-cost-only eligibility, court-ordered policies, already reimbursed premiums and limited-benefit policies are excluded. Medicare, TRICARE and CHAMPVA eligibility also exclude HIPP.
What you get
If you decide to apply
Proof of payment
- Form MS-88 starts the request. Proof of each premium payment is due within 60 days; approved reimbursement goes to the policyholder electronically.
- Ask the HIPP unit which family members and premiums qualify, and when reimbursement begins. Approval is not guaranteed just because you pay a premium. Required premiums remain due while the request is reviewed.
Official sources
“Could HIPP help with our work-plan premium, and what would we need to send each month?”
Why I’m asking: I want to understand how this help fits our child’s care and our family’s costs.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Get the employer rate sheet, file the state form the month Medicaid is approved, and keep the plan active.
Your social worker
The social worker finds the state HIPP contact and checks whether approval would change your child's Medicaid plan.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The state HIPP unit, on cost-effectiveness
- Ask HR
- “Can you show what I pay each pay period for my child's medical coverage? Medicaid needs that amount to check help with the premium.”
How to apply
First step: Once Medicaid approves your child, ask the social worker for the state HIPP contact. Request the application and employer premium form.
- Ask HR for the premium rate sheet for medical-only dependent coverage.
- Apply the month Medicaid is approved.
- Ask first whether HIPP changes the child's Medicaid plan.
Where it starts: State form after Medicaid approval
What to gather
- Employer premium rate sheet showing the employee share for medical-only coverage
- The plan's summary of benefits
- The child's Medicaid ID
How long: A cost-effectiveness review by the state. Ask for the expected turnaround when you file.
What a yes looks like
A letter naming the reimbursed amount and how it is paid (to you or to the employer).
What a no looks like, and the next move
“Not cost-effective” or “no employer plan”. Ask what changed the math and whether a new plan year reopens it.
Watch out
- Ask first whether help paying the work-plan premium moves your child out of the Medicaid managed-care plan (California: yes, fee-for-service only. Texas: no rule found).
- The state needs the employer's premium breakdown for medical-only coverage per pay period. Ask human resources for the rate sheet before you apply.
- Approval usually requires you to keep the employer plan. Deductibles are not always reimbursed.
Dates that change this
2026-07-31: The federal employer notice listing premium-assistance states was reissued July 31, 2026 (Illinois added, 39 states). Louisiana and Minnesota phone numbers from the January 2026 edition stand until the new PDF is quoted. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 7, 2026.
What it is worth
The family's employer premium reimbursed, often monthly, for as long as the state finds it cost-effective.
- Approved employee premium — Approved employee premium
Covers: Private plan stays primary. Medicaid coordinates behind it
Legal protection: A 60-day special-enrollment right in the employer plan follows premium-assistance eligibility or a Medicaid/CHIP loss
What it costs the family: State-specific.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Medicaid required
- yes
- Employer plan required
- enrolled or available
- Cost effectiveness
- yes
- Delivery system condition
- per state (CA fee-for-service only; TX none found)
Decisions this site cannot make: Cost-effectiveness review
Expect friction on: Employer rate sheet required · Periodic review
The trap: In some states help paying the work-plan premium moves the child out of the Medicaid managed-care plan (California: fee-for-service only. Texas: no rule found). Ask before you apply.
What changes by state: Whether it exists (38 states in the January 2026 federal list, Illinois added in July), the phone number, and the managed-care condition.
Where I read this
- Coordination of Benefits and Third Party Liability — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, read August 27, 2026
- Model employer CHIP notice (premium assistance under Medicaid and CHIP) — U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA, read September 7, 2026